Fresha's free plan has made it one of the most downloaded salon apps in the world. But "free" comes with a catch: 20% commission on every new client booking made through their marketplace. For a busy salon, this isn't a free plan — it's an expensive revenue share that grows with your success. This guide covers 7 strong Fresha alternatives with honest comparisons.
The real cost of Fresha's commission model
Let's do the maths. A London hair salon with 150 bookings per month at £65 average spend, 40% coming from Fresha's marketplace:
- Monthly marketplace revenue: £3,900
- Fresha commission (20%): £780/month
- Annual cost: £9,360 in commission fees
- vs. Blyssbook Professional: £264/year total
- Annual saving by switching: over £9,000
That's the actual cost of Fresha's "free" plan. Here are 7 platforms that don't take a cut of your revenue.
1. Blyssbook — Best overall Fresha alternative
Blyssbook is the strongest all-round Fresha alternative for salons that want a complete management platform without commission fees. It includes an online booking website, appointment scheduling, POS, client CRM, staff management, WhatsApp automation, and analytics — from $14/month (or local currency equivalent).
- No commission on bookings — ever
- Beautiful salon booking website included
- WhatsApp automation (confirmations, reminders, review requests)
- AI booking chatbot (Enterprise plan)
- Local currency pricing: AED, INR, PKR, GBP, SAR, USD
- GST, UAE VAT, Saudi VAT invoicing built in
- 14-day free trial, no credit card required
2. Vagaro — Good for US and Canada
Vagaro is a solid Fresha alternative for US and Canadian salons. It charges no booking commission and includes a marketplace, POS, CRM, staff management, and online booking. Pricing starts at around $25/month. The main gap is limited WhatsApp integration and no strong presence in MENA or South Asian markets.
3. Mindbody — Best for spas and wellness
Mindbody is well-suited for yoga studios, wellness centres, and spas that need class scheduling alongside appointment bookings. It's more complex and expensive than most alternatives (starting ~$129/month), but includes a strong marketplace and wellness-specific features.
4. Phorest — Strong for UK and Ireland salons
Phorest is a premium salon software platform popular in UK and Ireland, starting at £100+/month. It offers excellent CRM, marketing, and multi-branch features. The price point is high for smaller salons, but it's a genuinely strong product for established salons that can justify the investment.
5. Booksy — Popular with mobile beauty businesses
Booksy has a strong marketplace presence and is popular with freelance beauty professionals. Pricing starts around $29/month with a marketplace commission structure on some plans. It's better suited to individual practitioners than multi-staff salons.
6. Zenoti — Enterprise salon chains
Zenoti is built for large salon chains and enterprise spas. If you manage 10+ locations, Zenoti's unified reporting, enterprise integrations, and advanced analytics are valuable. For independent salons, the pricing (typically $10,000+/year) is prohibitive.
7. Square Appointments — Simplest option
Square Appointments works well for very small salons that are already using Square for payments. The booking system is basic but functional. It lacks advanced CRM, WhatsApp integration, and marketing features that growing salons need.
Fresha vs Blyssbook: full comparison
| Feature | Blyssbook | Fresha |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly fee | From £11/mo (GBP) | Free |
| Commission on bookings | ❌ Never | ✅ 20% on marketplace |
| Custom booking website | ✅ All plans | ⚠️ Fresha domain only |
| WhatsApp automation | ✅ Yes | ❌ No |
| AI booking chatbot | ✅ Enterprise plan | ❌ No |
| No-show deposits | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes |
| Staff commissions | ✅ Yes | ❌ No |
| Inventory management | ✅ Yes | ❌ No |
| Local currency support | ✅ AED, GBP, INR, PKR, SAR, USD | Limited |
| VAT/GST invoicing | ✅ UAE, KSA, India | ❌ No |
| Free trial | ✅ 14 days, no card | ✅ Free (+ commission) |
How to migrate from Fresha to another platform
- 1Export your client list from Fresha (Settings → Data Export)
- 2Export your service menu and pricing
- 3Set up your new account and import client data
- 4Build your booking website on the new platform
- 5Update your Google Business Profile, Instagram bio, and website with the new booking link
- 6Send your existing clients a WhatsApp or email announcing the change
- 7Run both systems in parallel for 30 days, then fully switch